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M10 - Survivor's Story
Alaric and the others follow Hu Shen past the iron doors -- and a collective gasp ripples through the crowd. Beyond the doors lies the rest of the monastery, a complex of square-shaped buildings with yellow, green, and red tiled pagoda roofs staggered around the mountain top, leading to the crowned tower Alaric had seen from outside the wall. Signs of life can be spotted throughout the monastery -- from birdsong on the breeze and colorful flags on strings crossing over their heads to the echoes of bells and low murmurs of prayers from the monks in solitude in the various buildings. : To think such a place like this exists, it’s… it’s-- : Incredible! Absolutely amazing! : Haa yes, I agree, young prince~ Though I do believe now is not the time to be admiring our decor. After all, the fate of Avalon is at stake! : Zhì, my dear, can you work on repairing their Claydol? Everything that you need should be in the storage room. : Why would there be clay in the storage room? : Ohhh, you know. Just in case~ : Consider it done, Master. : Very good -- onward, my friends! Hu Shen starts off at a lope towards the tower, surprisingly spritely for an older ‘mon. After Gawain leaves Daichi with Zhi on the front porch of a nearby building, the group hurries to catch up to Hu Shen, still marveling over the unique architecture… although Alaric is beginning to wonder if there is more to the Darmanitan than meets the eye. As he finally reaches Hu Shen’s side, Alaric clears his throat and speaks. : Master Hu Shen, there is something I don’t understand. That Mienshao, Guan Wai, he made it sound like you already knew why we were here. Can that really be possible? : Sure! I’m sometimes part psychic, you know, so I often have premonitions about things to come. Why else would I send Yi out into an incoming blizzard if not to lead you here? : What? You sent her to us? : That I did~ Yi often travels between Naklin, Chanyu, and this monastery, along the same path she took to bring you here, as a messenger and guide. I knew she would be just the ‘mon to fetch you. : Of course, I had no idea you would be thrown into so harsh a storm, or that your Claydol would be attacked beforehand. Those are aspects of this future I did not see coming. : … What does the future look like now? : Murky. I saw your arrival here, what you would learn… but the rest? It is far beyond my sight. : Then I suppose we will have to proceed blindly. : Haa, I have a feeling you will not be blind for much longer~ : Enough with the riddles, old monk! The Scizor shoves his way through the crowd, snapping a claw threateningly in the air as he glowers in annoyance at Hu Shen. : I am tired of all this secretive talk -- speak plainly and get to the point, why are we here? : Haa. So serious. : Just like your grandfather. : What on earth are you talking about? : Your family, of course! : (leaning towards Alaric and muttering) He’s just as slow-witted as his grandfather is too. : Hold on a minute. Are you tellin’ me that the only reason we’re here, havin’ gone through a blizzard and all that walking up a freakin’ mountain, is to hear about Ju-long’s family?! : Not only is this spectacularly anticlimactic, but it’s also not what I came here for. : No, no, you don’t understand. Ju-long’s family is the whole linchpin to what is happening in this country, and in Sazanami, AND in yours! They are the reason behind it all, why Master Hisato sent you here! : (thinking) Strange, I never said the master’s name… : Once you know who they are, everything will be made clear! : I am starting to doubt your clairvoyance. My family is back in Sazanami: the Semi no Tamashī, who took me in when I had no one. Why would Master Hisato send us here if we only needed to meet THEM? : Oh dear. You really DON’T know, do you? : Don’t know WHAT? : You should probably fill us in quicker, I think buggy’s about to pop… and I’m also losing interest the less we talk about why I’m here, so, chop-chop, grandpa. : Very well… You are the son of Wei Guang’s daughter, eldest of four, and future heir to the throne of Gāng-Tiě. : !!! : Surprise~! : How is that possible?! : Well, when a mommy and a daddy bug love each other very much, the mother bites the father’s head off-- : Oi! Now’s not the time. : You’re right. Fluffles isn’t old enough to hear this kind of talk. : Not cool, Bon. : I-I don’t understand. How can I be from Gāng-Tiě -- and Wei’s grandson?! : Haa, well, I suppose you do deserve a bit of an explanation. Let me try to fill in some blanks while we walk. : I was a much younger ‘mon when you were first brought to the monastery. So precious -- though you had those sharp blade-arms, not exactly cute and cuddly -- and I had hoped that we’d be able to shelter you forever. But you were not safe in Gāng-Tiě, not with the Emperor out for your head. : The Emperor wanted me dead? But why? : Simple -- you were born. The result of a union between his daughter and a man he did not approve of, a commoner and one from Chanyu, of all places. Wei Guang could not stand such a stain to his honor and so commanded one of his palace guards to take you into the mountains and smash your egg upon the rocks. His daughter, your mother, was told your egg was stillborn, and you were whisked away in the paws of one you already know… : Yi? : Haa, you’re catching on~ Yes, Yi had been ordered to kill you -- but you surprised her by hatching while she was on the mountain. Conflicted, she hesitated, and that was when Guan Wai found the two of you and brought you to the monastery. I spoke with her at length while Guan Wai watched over you in the gardens, and she left at peace with her decision to let you live. : As I said before, while I wish we could have taken care of you indefinitely, it just wasn’t safe. Guan Wai disagreed, thought that we had the resources to protect you, but I knew that it was best to send you away. Your grandfather -- on your father’s side, not Wei Guang -- was once the leader of the Semi no Tamashī, and even though he was long gone, I knew that the guild would be able to keep you well, far from the Emperor’s reach. : But I’m not surprised that you don’t remember any of that. You were young, too much to truly understand what was going on. : Master… never told me. : I’m sure he was only looking out for you -- didn’t want to expose you to the horrors of your family’s past. : What do you mean? What happened to my family? I mean, not the Emperor, I know about him -- but the three younger siblings I have, and my parents? : That is not for me to say… Come, there is someone you should meet. Hu Shen reaches the base of the tower which rises layer by layer towards the sky, each level crowned with a ridged roof. It sparkles brightly in the sunlight, reflections on the golden tiles winking as they go inside; the interior is just as pretty, even cozy with cushions piled in a circle around an incense burner which gives off faint curls of smoke. Someone had just been there... : Haa, he finished his morning meditation fast. He must be in his room. : Where’s that? The Darmanitan responds by walking over to a small rope hanging from the ceiling and tugging on it. A panel slides open in the wall, just big enough for everyone to walk through single-file. : Alright, I will go first, to give him some warning. Give me a few seconds then the rest of you will follow. : Lead on, Hu Shen. The monk heads into the secret room and Alaric can hear Hu Shen say something low to whoever is in it. There is no response, but Hu Shen’s hand pokes out from the hole in the wall, signalling for them to follow, and Alaric leads the way into the room. Unlike the main room, this room is enclosed in shadow, with only thin rectangles of windows allowing in ribbons of light. Sazanamese tapestries hang from the walls -- likely to muffle any noise from the room’s occupant -- and a bamboo mat completely covers the floor. From the side of the room, Hu Shen nods towards a lone Greninja sitting with his back towards them, head bowed and completely silent, as if he were asleep. As the rest of the group enters the room, the Greninja slightly turns his head in their direction. : Ju-long, it is time you learned the truth. This is Kaito, and he can tell you of your siblings… isn’t that right, Kaito? : … : (bowing) Pardon our intrusion, sir, but I would like to -- : Kaito?! (rushing forward and falling to his knees in front of the Greninja) H-How is this possible?! : (eyes widening) !! : Bon? You okay? : I… I thought you were dead! : … : Oh! Then this must be your kin, the one you believed to be murdered! : Told you Master Hisato is never wrong. : Kaito, please, tell me what happened! How did you end up here, why didn’t you tell me you survived the mission? Kaito carefully turns to face them, swiveling on his knees to remain kneeling -- then reaches and lifts up the pink wrapping around his neck. Bon (and the rest) flinch as they realize that it is not a tongue that goes around Kaito’s neck but a cloth scarf, and he opens his mouth, revealing all that remains of… : Who DID this to you?! (points rudely at Hu Shen) Was it THEM?! : Of course not. After his “mission,” Kaito faked his death, his tongue as evidence, and took a vow of silence as penance for his failures. He has not spoken about what happened ever since. : I imagine that’s because he CAN’T speak -- he has no TONGUE!! : Calm down, frog. At least your friend is alive. : Enough, both of you. We must get back to the task at hand. : Kaito-san, I am Ju-long… heir of Gāng-Tiě, though I did not not know this fact until today. Master Hu Shen tells me that you have information about the other heirs, my siblings, as well as the fates of my parents. Please, will you tell me? : … (nods stoically) : Because he cannot speak naturally, I will use my psychic powers to broadcast his thoughts into your minds… Don’t panic if it’s a bit tingly. The Darmanitan sits on the floor, tucking his feet under him, then slaps his hands against his sides. Suddenly, a gray, stone-like coating spreads from the impact of his hands across his body, turning his skin a blue-greenish gray, and his eyes roll back to empty white. Psychic energy flashes out from his zen form, and everyone winces as Hu Shen’s voice echoes loudly in their heads. : ' ''HELLO, CAN EVERYONE HEAR ME? ' : You may want to consider turning it down a bit. : ''Haa, sorry. Alright, Kaito, you may begin. The muted Greninja looks to the newly shifted statue at his side for a long moment. His eyes briefly fell to his discolored webbed fingers, a sense of hesitation lingering about his person. Quickly balling his fists onto his knees, Kaito lifts his gaze to meet those before him. : ... My story starts in Sazanami with great personal sorrow. When I was young, hardly a tadpole, my parents went missing. They were the leaders of a powerful ninja guild, and as time passed, it became clear that their disappearance was… permanent. Thus, the new leader, a Poliwrath, took me under his wing as his apprentice. : I’m sorry to interrupt, but do you mean the Semi no Tamashī? : No, he’s talking about the Numa no Ha, another group of ninjas comprised mainly of frog Pokémon. : And how do you know that? : I didn’t realize your last name was “Obvious,” captain. : Bon. : Oh fine, I was a member of the group, alright? That’s how Kaito and I know each other. : Bon was a young rookie recruit, only a little older than me, but he had quickly become one of the best members of the guild, working alongside the leader’s right-hand ‘mon, a Seismitoad, to complete mission after mission. He did not speak to the others, kept to himself and completed whatever task was handed down to him -- and when he DID speak, it was with difficulty, as Sazanamese was not his native tongue. : I speak it pretty well now, just so everyone knows. : But I was not much for conversation either. After my parents’ death -- so much time had passed, I could only assume they were dead -- I withdrew, a tiny Froakie hiding away, intimidated by this upstart Croagunk who already killed like a veteran assassin, skillfully and without remorse. My jealousy turned into laziness and my training with the leader began to suffer. The Seismitoad approached the leader and told him that I was a lost cause, encouraging him to send me away and “cut his losses.” : “He is unfit to be the future leader,” he said. “A disgrace to his family and an embarrassment to the guild.” : Yeah, he always was a jerk. Can’t believe I was his top thug. : You are not like him, Bon. And certainly not like that wretch Drog. : Drog? You mean the one who tried to kill me on my wedding night? : That’s him. A real charmer, that one. He’s great at parties, I promise, but weddings aren’t his thing, his set of tricks for them aren’t as good. : In my anger and shame, I ran into the nearby woods. The master had just taught me a new technique, one that I was eager to perfect, and I attempted it once more -- only to fall flat on my face. I was about to give up for good, leave and never return… : But Bon had followed me, witnessed my failure, and instead of reporting back to his master, he taught me how to do the technique correctly, instructing me in broken Sazanamese. : Kaito and I became sparring partners after that, working on training exercises. It was amusing at first, watching him struggle and fall all over himself, but he started to grow on me. And it wasn’t just me teaching him: he helped me learn Sazanamese. : My master noticed our improvement, in both skill and attitude. He rewarded both my improvement and Bon’s kindness by teaching us both how to write and read. As the years passed and we grew older, Bon and I grew ever closer, even evolving into a Toxicroak and Frogadier respectively around the same time, until we became sworn kin, as close as brothers. : This would not last forever. One day, the Master suddenly died, strangely and without warning. The Seismitoad took command, and the guild objectives began to shift, accepting questionable jobs and more kill contracts… I was uncomfortable with such a change in views, but Bon had no qualms about it, saying that I shouldn’t question the leader just because someone close to us had died. We fought, said things that we shouldn’t, and parted on harsh terms. : … Sorry for that. : Funny, it’s not like you to apologize, Bon. : What can I say, people change, especially when they are forced to be around unbearable ‘mons. : Soon after that, Bon left for a mission, and while he was gone, I was given a mission from the leader… It would be the last I’d ever see of my homeland. : I traveled with a small group of Numa no Ha ninjas to Chanyu where we disguised ourselves as Chanyu warriors to meet with the contact, a general. This mission was one that the general had been attempting to do for some time but without success; even his own agent had double-crossed him. Originally, the goal had been to infiltrate the Gāng-Tiě royal palace and kill the Emperor, Wei Guang, as revenge for all that he had done to the Chanyu… but someone had pointed out another option to the general, one that would make the reward even greater, and get revenge on the traitor at the same time. : Our target was the princess, Wei Guang’s only child and heir. We wouldn’t find her in the palace, though -- she had eloped with the Chanyu traitor. The only witness was a royal Arcanine guard, who had been banished and stripped of her honor, under penalty of death should she ever return to Gāng-Tiě. : It can’t be a coincidence. You must be talking of Yi. : Indeed. She had disobeyed the Emperor by not only refusing to get rid of the princess’ two unhatched eggs, but by allowing the princess to escape the palace with her lover. The Emperor allowed her to keep her life only because of her family’s long service to the throne, but her fate was sealed, and she had long since left the empire, gone before we could get any information from her. : That was why we had been brought. For over a year, the Chanyu warriors had searched every inch of Gāng-Tiě but could not find their target. Wei Guang’s own search efforts impeded their progress, and it seemed the traitor, princess, and their unborn children had disappeared from thin air. As professional ninjas, we had a better chance to finding the target by hiding among the peasants without looking suspicious. The Chanyu had determined their general location, but that was all the information we had. : The other Numa no Ha ninjas went their separate ways, as we preferred to do our scouting individually. That was fine by me, as I was eager to get out from under their close eyes… It was obvious what they intended to do to me after the mission was complete. : So, the leader was going to have you killed. : He was. But that was of no importance to me, at least not at the time. If I could find the target first, I could attempt to slip away before the others could catch me. So I searched high and low, looking for clues. I was forced at times to work together with the others to get ideas, but first chance I got, I rushed off on my own… Then, after a few weeks, I got a tip that she was hiding in an abandoned grain house, and I snuck into the upper level of the building, crouched just over her position as she leaned over a nest. : I could have killed her. It would have been easy, to drop down and eliminate her… but something stopped me. She seemed innocent, merely a pawn in a plan much larger than ourselves, and I fully intended on leaving the grain house without her ever knowing I was there… only her husband showed up. : The anger in his eyes as he discovered me in the upper level and threw me through the floor and onto the lower level. He jumped down after me, holding his bladed arm against my throat -- but the princess stopped him. Holding two young Sewaddle to her chest, she asked for my name, what I was doing there. : All sense of my training to never talk went out the window. I told them everything, how Sazanamese assassins had been sent to track them down and kill them, how I was one of those ninjas -- but I hastened to explain that I had changed my mind, that I WASN’T going to kill them, and in fact was willing to get the others off their trail. The Scyther was wary -- I didn’t blame him -- but the princess… perhaps it was in her Leavanny nature to be motherly, and I myself was hardly a teenager, but she believed me. : I wish I could have met her… : She was certainly one of the nicest people I’ve ever known. Anyway, I told them that they needed to find a new place to hide, one that would make it impossible for their enemies to find them. The Scyther told me that they had originally planned to head for a monastery in the mountains, but with everyone looking for them, it had been hard to get out of the village. Not only that, the princess’ health had been declining ever since she had her children, her condition exacerbated from having to run from her home. But I couldn’t just let them give up, so under the cover of night, we gathered the two Sewaddle and the third unhatched egg then headed for the mountains. : I traveled with them for a little bit -- the princess insisted it. As we approached the mountains, I helped them keep to the shadows, avoiding all in our path, but with two babies, it was difficult to stay quiet. I offered to hold the children on occasion; two girls, the elder one was quite the squirmer while the younger one didn’t smile too often. And the third egg still hadn’t hatched, not even a wiggle, always kept in a bag on the princess’ back. Her husband did all he could to keep her from worrying--'' : ''--but I could see that the stress was beginning to get to her. Things only got worse when I had to leave to report to the Numa no Ha, in order to keep them from getting suspicious. The princess did not want me to leave, worried that I would be discovered as a traitor, but I assured her that I would be okay. : I met up with the Numa no Ha -- but they were closer to us then I thought. They had learned where the targets were and were closing in fast, it was only a matter of time before they had caught up with them. On the surface, I congratulated them for their hard work and allowed them to go on ahead, but inside I was panicking. I knew I had to pass them, to warn the princess and her family, so I ran as fast as I could. : However, my Frogadier body could not handle the speeds I needed. So I forced myself beyond my abilities, and I evolved before my time, gaining the swiftness to climb the mountainside. : You did WHAT? But Kaito, forcefully evolving, the leader would’ve never wanted you to do that to yourself! : Some of your rebellious nature must have rubbed off on me. : Suppose I walked right into that one. : When I reached the princess’ location, not far from where I had left them, the Numa no Ha were already there. I slaughtered them without remorse, my blades wet with their blood. At my back was the Scyther, sporting an ugly wound across his chest but still cutting down any that dared approach him. : But the princess, she… S-she--'' : ''Steady, Kaito. Just take your time. : ... She wasn’t moving. As her husband and I killed the last attacker, the cries of the children rose as they gathered around their mother -- and now there was a third Sewaddle, a boy, crying openly. I scooped the children up, stepping back to give the Scyther one last time to be with his beloved, and she managed to smile weakly, placing a hand on her husband’s face before... : !! : Maybe it was stupid of me, but I had dared to hope that my mother was alive somewhere… : This is not that kind of story, milord… but perhaps it will comfort you to know that she loved all of her children, from you to the girls and even the littlest one, happy in her final moments to have met her youngest son. She died knowing that her children would be safe, that their father would do whatever it took to get them to the monastery. : And did he? Did he make it to the monastery? : He gave it his best. We hastily buried the princess on the mountainside, to safeguard her body from wild beasts, then continued up the mountain… but the Scyther kept looking back, that wound still glistening on his chest. I just assumed he was grieving the passing of his wife, but he surprised me by saying suddenly that they would never be able to reach the monastery, not with a death threat over his head and the reinforcements of Numa no Ha surely on their way. I told him we could keep fighting… but he responded with the unthinkable: that he would stay behind to hold them off while I kept going with the children, using my newfound speed. : I told him that was crazy, that the children needed their father now more than ever, but the Scyther knew that the attackers would never stop, that the mission for his head would never be over until he and the children were dead. As much as I wished it weren’t true, I knew he was right -- but I was in the same predicament, as the Numa no Ha would kill me after the deed was done, not for betraying them as they had no knowledge of that, but because Goro wanted me out of the way. : Goro? : The Seismitoad leader of the Numa no Ha. Judging by his unease around me, the one appointed by the previous leader to take his place, I suspect he may have had something to do with his unnatural death… but I have no evidence of this, of course. : Wouldn’t put it past him. : The Scyther knew what had to be done, that there was only one option: we had to make the Numa no Ha believe that the children and I were dead. In my naivety, I asked him how, and the Scyther reluctantly told me that proof of my death had to be given -- specifically a body part. : Ohh, I know where this is going… : It had to be a part that made it seem that I had died immediately, or something done after death because of its invasiveness. I had to do something no young one should have to do -- consider what body part I would be willing to lose forever -- and while I briefly entertained the thought of a foot or hand, I knew I needed both to run and to fight. So it came down to one thing. : Your tongue. : It was poetic, really -- the loss of my tongue would not only symbolize my death but my vow of silence, to never speak of the things I had witnessed, the secret love between a princess of Gāng-Tiě and warrior of Chanyu. I even had a way of stopping the massive blood loss, so it was a win-win. He laughs derisively over the zen link -- but no one else laughs, and Kaito continues his story with a heavy sigh. : The Scyther made sure the children were asleep, picking a few loose leaves from their heads, and I stretched out my tongue over a log, kneeling as if at the executioner’s block. He came over, held one of his arm blades over my tongue… and hesitated. He asked me if I was sure of my decision. I could run, he told me, could flee as fast as I could and nobody would fault me for it. “You have already given up so much trying to help us,” he said, “even evolving early, something with consequences for the rest of my life.” : But my mind was made up. I would never be able to forgive myself if I backed out at that point, not when it could ensure these children stayed alive. I promised him that I would get them to the monastery, even if it killed me, and the Scyther thanked me before slicing off my tongue in one quick cut. : The pain was immense. I quickly covered my fist in frost and grabbed the stub of what remained of my tongue, using Ice Punch to not only stop the bleeding, freezing the wound, but to halt my screams. Worse still was the sight of my flopping, twisting tongue on the ground, curling about with a mind of its own: almost lost my nerve then. : But there was no time for goodbyes. After my dizziness fled and I could stand, I took the children in my arms and went up the mountain… The last I saw of the Scyther was him wrapping my tongue around his shoulders, like a trophy, and holding his children’s loose leaves in his lap, sitting on the log drenched in my blood to await his death. : So. My father too… : He died with honor. : That he did. I ran as fast as I could, wind rushing past my face -- but the quick motion made my body temperature rise and the impromptu freezing of my tongue melted away. I spent so much energy running, I didn’t have the time or energy to refreeze it, and so I could taste the coppery-sting of blood in my mouth, swallowing it rather than spitting it out to leave a trail. Infection was assured, and I began to think upon my last rites, sure that this would be the end… but I finally reached the doorstep of a great mountainous structure, happy in the knowledge that even as I died, I at least completed my mission. Knocking on the gates was the last thing I remember before collapsing, still hugging the children to my chest. : But my tale was not over. A couple days later, I woke up in a bed, sitting up and causing a cold cloth that had been on my head to fall on my lap. A sliding door was open across from me, revealing a garden -- and a voice called out from the garden, calling me a sleepy-head and inviting me to get some sun. : Give you one guess to who that is, haa~ : I went outside to see a Darmanitan monk meditating on the edge of the garden. I approached him slowly, wanting to ask so many questions but finding myself unable to. The monk continued speaking, saying he was worried to find me lying like a lump on his front stoop, I gave him such a fright, looking like a ghost, then he introduced himself as Hu Shen. : I tried to do the same, but couldn’t. My mouth was heavy, so I reached up -- and memories immediately crashed down on me, suffocating me. I fell to my knees, succumbing to the darkness in my mind… : But my training suddenly kicked in as a stick came flying at my head, and I caught it. The Darmanitan had thrown it at me, saying that I should write my name in the garden’s sandy floor, and I obeyed, shakily sketching out my name. Without even looking, he said “Kaito, from Sazanami,” and before I could even write out the question plaguing me, he told me that the children were fine and that I could go to them if I wished. When I finally looked up, he had stood and faced me with a bright grin. : As I do~ : And so the children and I lived here, at the monastery. They were a curious bunch, thankfully with only faint memories of the horrors that I befallen them, and I recovered in time, regaining some of my old strength and doing whatever work I could around the monastery, as payment for their hospitality. The children had Hu Shen and Guan Wai to look after them, and also a kindhearted Chanyu merchant who came to trade with the monastery. I could see the look of love in her eyes when she saw them playing in the gardens, and it came no surprise to me that one day she adopted them as her own. : She even offered to adopt me as well, but I wanted to stay at the monastery. I belonged here, could serve out my vow of silence in peace… though that didn’t stop her from fussing over me. : Heh, I can just picture you gettin’ all red over all that attention! For a moment, the Greninja is quiet, and his right hand shifts subtly towards his waist. The handle of a small blade hangs there, concealed in the folds of his robe, and Alaric’s eyes narrow, stiffening as a shadow drifts over Kaito’s face, hiding his eyes. : That is the end of my story, friends… And also the end of my vow. : Huh? : I have broken my silence, telling my tale to you, Ju-long, heir of Gāng-Tiě. And now--'' ''His hand moves swift, pulling out a short blade, and swings it towards his belly. Everyone flinches away, and Hu Shen hastily breaks out of zen mode, reaching to stop Kaito -- only to be beaten to it, Bon snagging Kaito’s wrist and hold it away from the Greninja’s gut. : What the HELL are you doing?! : … : Don’t give me that look, you’re not in Sazanami anymore, you don’t need to do this just ‘cause you broke some promise that doesn’t mean SHIT! : … : Uh, Bon, maybe you should try a gentler approach? : … Right… Kaito, you can’t do this. I know you broke your vow, but you did it for a good reason, and that matters more than any rule. : Besides. I already thought I’d lost my kin once, I’m not about to lose him for real. : … : (smiling softly and nodding) Bon slowly takes the short blade away from Kaito, tossing it across the room where clatters to the floor. He then offers Kaito a hand -- only pull him into a hug. The two frogs embrace for only a moment before parting, and Hu Shen suddenly claps, making everyone jump. : Haa, THAT was certainly intense! I suppose you know everything you need to know about how your family arrived here at the monastery, Ju-long? : I do. And I hope I will have the opportunity to meet them soon. We have much to talk about. : Then you’re in luck -- they’re here! : WHAT? : You didn’t think to tell us this earlier?! : (shrugging) Ju-long needed to know who they were first. Didn’t want to risk him attacking them or something, haa. : Then what are we waiting for, let’s go meet them! : That’s the spirit! I shall lead the way -- onward!